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Council moves to harmonize power-board definitions and residency language
Summary
During the charter review, council members asked staff to coordinate with the power board and its attorney to clarify who counts as a 'ratepayer' and whether appointees must be residents; existing members would be grandfathered through their terms.
At a special study session on Tuesday, Aug. 20, Shelbyville councilmembers focused part of their charter review on the city’s power board, seeking to clarify who qualifies as a ratepayer and whether appointees should be residents of the city.
The dispute stems from prior appointments and differing definitions used by the city and the power system’s attorney. Councilmembers recalled a prior council resolution interpreting “ratepayer” to mean the household member responsible for paying the utility bill, even when an account is in a business or deceased relative’s name. One councilmember said the resolution had been used as a starting point and urged staff to coordinate with the power board to agree on a mutually acceptable definition.
Patrick Marsh of MTAS advised that your council could return to resident-only appointments if desired but noted that any change should include grandfathering language so current members can complete their terms. Marsh also reminded the council that the power board has limited removal authority and that the charter currently assigns appointment power to the council but not removal authority.
Council directed staff to work with the power board and its attorney to draft language clarifying ratepayer and residency criteria and to return draft language for council consideration. No formal charter amendment was adopted at the session.
